


you break the bottle

by indestinatus



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Fluff, also excuse to put him as a grandfather, excuse to expand Gibbs headcanon as a watercolor painter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25211797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indestinatus/pseuds/indestinatus
Summary: On a Saturday afternoon, Gibbs spares his free time to teach Tali how to paint.
Relationships: Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 28
Kudos: 57





	you break the bottle

“Now we paint while the paper is still wet.”

Gibbs cautiously touched the brush on the canvas, the color immediately spreading out where the water blotches were placed. He smiled satisfied, the feathers of a bird taking shape where the ink started to gather. He added different colors, a swift move of his brush mixing yellows and oranges into the canvas until a little golden bird was looking at them.

Tali had a habit of sticking out her tongue whenever she needed to concentrate and he watched her paint, blotches of pinks and purples spreading across the paper. When a flower started to take shape, she turned to him, her doll-like brown eyes shining with excitement. 

“Good job, kiddo,” he said, tousling her hair.

It was Tali who had asked him to teach her watercolors, it was a subject he tried to avoid as best he could. But she was a smart girl - annoyingly smart, in fact, but that didn’t come as a surprise - and as soon as she saw the little drawing he'd made of a bird that had perched last week on his porch, Tali asked if they could paint that afternoon. 

And so they spent a whole day painting, hours passing while bears and cats and butterflies came to life in half a dozen drawings in a makeshift drafting desk stationed in his basement. He didn’t tell her it was a childhood dream of his, to become a painter when he grew up, because she didn’t need to know. But something in him teaching her how to do it was nice, made his heart warm. It was like a part of his dream ended up turning true after all.

Ziva looked at Tony crouching behind the stairs that led to Gibbs’ basement and needed to stop for a second to think if she _really_ wanted to know what he was doing.

“Are we staying for dinner?” she squinted her eyes at him.

“Shhh,” was his reply.

He pulled her down, hiding behind one of the stairs' wooden stakes to peek at Tali and Gibbs painting with their backs turned to them. 

“Tony,” she spoke in a normal volume and he shot a wide look at her direction. “He knows we’re here.”

He paused to consider what she’d said for a moment, suspicious eyes darting from her to them.

“You’re probably right,” Tony finally said, standing up. She stood up as well, still contemplating if she wanted to bother with his nonsense. “Well, that doesn’t change it.”

Ziva closed her eyes and sighed, giving in. “Change what?”

“The plan.”

“What plan?”

“Shhh,” Tony motioned for her to pay attention. “ _Watch_.”

Tali observed attentively as Gibbs took the tape out of the drawing’s edges, her eyes locked at his movements. Once he finished, she beamed, taking her still wet flower and putting it next to the other paintings they had done that afternoon to let it dry. She returned while he was still adding strokes to his own, and leaned in to whisper something on his ear.

“ _Yes,_ ” muttered Tony excited, and Ziva couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

To her surprise, Gibbs let out a loud chuckle and leaned over Tali’s ear to answer back. She laughed as well, and then resumed to watch her paintings dry after he had tousled her hair once again. Tony looked at Ziva with wild eyes and a satisfied grin, and that was the moment when she decided not to question him further.

“Good evening, you two,” Tony said as he descended the stairs as loudly as he could as if no one knew he was already there. Ziva caught Gibbs’ eyes and shot him her best ‘don’t ask’ look, to which he just nodded with a small smile. He seemed to be in a good mood tonight. 

“Didn’t know you painted, boss,” said Tony, eyeing their afternoon work. Gibbs thought he would tease him, but he seemed to be genuinely surprised, taking in the different animals they had painted. 

“Not me,” said Gibbs. He motioned to Tali with his chin, “ _she_ does."

Tali smiled her brightest smile and pulled Ziva without warning to show her creations, giving names to all of them. Tony approached right after, and an honest smile made way to his face.

“Hey, Ziver,” said Gibbs as he kissed her temple, hugging her by the side.

“Hello, Gibbs,” she replied while Tony distracted Tali, asking for stories and different backgrounds from her various animal friends. “Thank you for taking care of her this afternoon. I hope it wasn’t an inconvenience.”

“Never,” he hugged her closer. “Never from you.”

Ziva chuckled and let her head fall on his shoulder while Tony and Tali continued to babble in front of them.

“So, what did he say?” Tony asked her.

“He told me to ask you,” Tali replied, resolute.

“What?!” Tony chuckled and looked at Gibbs, who watched him with attentive eyes. Tony huffed out a breath and swallowed dry, putting his hands on his hips. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” answered Tali. “He told me you knew the answer.”

“ _Me_? But no one knows the answer.”

“Are you staying for dinner?” asked Gibbs to Ziva, pulling her towards the stairs. She squinted at the scene, but as soon as their eyes met, she chuckled, putting two and two together. 

“We would love to,” was her reply.

Gibbs looked over his shoulder to see Tony scowling at them, confusion marking his features.

“You married a child,” said Gibbs with a smile.

“You think I don't know that?”

Ziva laughed and they disappeared from view, their chuckles soon echoing from the kitchen. Ziva called Tali a moment after, asking if she could help set the table. She darted upstairs, leaving Tony alone to his own thoughts.

“Oh, _C’mon_ ,” he let out exasperated. “Are you really going to take it to the grave?"

Tony climbed the stairs as well, leaving the paintings to dry behind him. He halted only to turn off the lights, surveying the basement one last time.

"How the heck do you get the boats out?"


End file.
